All language subtitles for Undiscovered Vistas Series 2 2of6 Iceland Land of Ice 1080p

Iceland...

Built by fire...

Sculpted by ice...

Massive glaciers
cut through mountains.

Melting ice
feeds thundering waterfalls.

>> the power there
is just unbelievable.

If you touch
the rocks around it,

You can feel them trembling.

>> on the world's largest
volcanic island,

A titanic battle rages
between fire and ice.

Its aftermath can be ferocious.

>> they're flash floods

And they can cause
a lot of damage

Wherever they go.

They basically ruin
everything in their path.

>> vast stretches
of this cold-blooded wilderness

Appear gripped
by a never-ending ice age.

But as the earth warms
and glaciers melt,

What will become of iceland?

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

In the southeast of iceland

At the foot
of a colossal glacier,

An iceberg drifts serenely...

...On a remote glacial lake.

It is the size
of a two-story house.

An echo from a long time ago

When ice blanketed
much of the world.

This dreamlike lagoon,

Awash with the wreckage of ice

That has crumbled
from the glacier,

Is a sign
that iceland is changing.

(♪♪♪)

15 years ago,
there was no lake here.

Just a sheet of ice.

This glacier is shrinking.

It used to creep forward.

No longer.

It's losing more ice
than it gains from snowfall.

But as it recedes,

A lagoon left in its wake
is growing.

>> the glacier is retreating.

And the weight of the glacier

Means that the ice is actually
going into the ground,

Means that
when the glacier retreats,

It leaves a hole in the ground.

But the water flowing
from the glacier

Fills up the hole
and creates this lagoon.

That particular lagoon
is interesting to watch

Because we can see so clearly
from one year to another

That it is getting bigger.

It's nature being created.

We often say that iceland
is still under construction

And that's a good example
of that.

>> the lagoon is an omen

Of a greater glacial collapse
to come.

Its very existence
points to a potential disaster.

Not just for iceland,
but for our entire planet.

(waves crashing)

Iceland lies in the middle
of the north atlantic ocean,

About 200 miles
east of greenland

On the edge
of the arctic circle.

(♪♪♪)

Just 300 miles wide,

It is roughly the size
of kentucky.

This lone and rugged island

Is a place
of extreme natural beauty.

It is also one of the most
volcanic places on earth.

(volcano erupting)

Iceland's 30 active volcanoes

Generate 1/3rd
of the world's land-based lava.

It is an island on fire.

On average, iceland experiences

A major volcanic eruption
every 5 years.

Lava has scraped bare
great belts of the interior

Creating cruel landscapes.

Just 1/5th of this hostile,
alien land

Is inhabited by humans.

200 earthquakes
shake the island each year.

All over iceland,
steam hisses...

(water erupts)

...Water erupts...

...And lava spews

From the mantle,
deep beneath the earth's crust.

In 2010, a volcanic eruption
at eyjafjallajokull

Brought global air travel
to a standstill.

The wrath
of iceland's volcanoes

Has been felt far beyond
these shores.

But there is one force
powerful enough

To challenge
iceland's fiery heart.

Ice.

About 1.5 million years ago,

A massive ice sheet
descended from the north

And smothered the island.

>> whole of iceland
was covered with ice

And the big icecaps,
greenland and antarctica,

Were quite a bit bigger
than they are at present.

And that means
that the sea-level

Was about 100, 110 meters lower
than it is now

Because all the water
was stored in the ice.

>> 1/3rd of our planet lay
trapped under a rigid
blanket of ice.

Then, about 12,000 years ago,

The ice sheet loosened its grip
and began its retreat.

Today, 11% of iceland
remains covered by glaciers.

Great rivers
of slow-moving ice.

Spread out, they would cloak
the entire island

In more than 100 feet of ice.

Iceland's glaciers

Hold more than 800 cubic miles
of water,

Enough to fill
michigan's lake huron.

Deep within the realm
of a steep mountain range

Lies a frozen giant.

Vatnajokul,

The largest glacier in iceland

And the greatest glacial mass
in all of europe.

With a surface area of more than
3,000 square miles,

It covers
most of southern iceland

And would entomb
the city of tokyo in ice

More than 1/3rd of a mile deep.

So much water is locked
inside the glacier,

It would take iceland's
most powerful river

More than 200 years
to carry it out to sea.

The glacier is so immense,
it generates its own weather.

Cold winds blow off the ice-cap,
chilling the valleys below.

Vatnajokul
is constantly transforming.

As it pushes
through the valley,

It melts in the bright daylight.

Then freezes,
during frigid arctic nights.

Crevasses,
cut open by friction

As the ice
slumps down the mountain,

Can plunge more than 100 feet

Deep into the glacier's
icy heart.

For adventure-seekers,

The ice can be thrilling
but treacherous.

>> when you hike
on the glaciers,

You have to know
what you're doing.

If you don't know
what you're doing,

Sometimes these crevasses
can be very dangerous.

Sometimes they're snow-covered

And you can't even see
where they are.

So by all means,
people should always

Either have the experience
or have a guide with them

When they do
something like that.

>> farther up the glacier,
crevasses are larger

Making higher reaches
impassable

And hiking
even more harrowing.

In 1953,
two british science students

Set out on a research expedition
on vatnajokul.

They were never seen again.

It's believed the two fell
into a deep and hidden crevasse.

In 2006,

Mountaineering equipment
belonging to the two students

Was discovered on the ice.

At its thickest point,

The ice is more than 2/3rds
of a mile deep.

Entombed under these icy folds

Are mountains,
valleys and plateaus.

The glacier also conceals
volcanoes.

60% of iceland's
active volcano systems

Lie under its glaciers.

And that can produce
some dramatic results.

(volcano erupting)

Grímsvotn...

It has the highest eruption rate
of any volcano in iceland.

In 2011,

It unleashed its fury
for the fourth time in 14 years.

Torrents of molten rock

Surged through
shattered ice sheets,

Hurling a billowing cloud
of steam and ash

12 miles into the sky,

And plunging parts of the island
into near darkness.

It is believed to be the most
violent eruption in iceland

Since the 1960s.

Far more powerful

Than the 2010 eruption
of eyjafjallajokull

That brought global air travel
to its knees.

The two forces at play,
fire and ice,

When mixed,
are a power to be reckoned with.

>> you have these,

The super-cold glacier
and the super-warm lava,

And when the eruptions
take place under the glaciers,

First of all,
the heat from the eruption

Starts melting the glacier
from underneath.

And in some cases,

The eruptions are big enough
and last for long enough

To melt their way
all the way through the ice.

And then we have
this magnificent display of fire

Just coming out of the ice.

They're kind of battling
each other.

>> in the explosive showdown
between lava and ice,

Ice is a forbidding force.

But it is no match
for iceland's fiery volcanoes

Which can wreak havoc
in other, unexpected, ways.

Flooding,

Triggered by the eruption
of a volcano

Beneath a glacier.

The 2010 eruption
at eyjafjallajokull

Melted the glacier

And sent
2 billion cubic feet of water

Flooding down the mountain,

Nearly the volume of water
that goes over niagara falls

In 6 hours.

>> the flash floods,

Which are known in iceland
as "jokulhlaup"

Or the "glacial floods".

And they will go down
and onto the lowlands

And can cause a lot of damage
wherever they go.

They basically ruin
everything in their path.

>> iceland's glacial floods
are enormously destructive.

Raging torrents of water
wash away roads.

At the foot
of vatnajokul glacier,

Lies the twisted wreckage
of a steel bridge

Wiped out by glacial flooding.

(♪♪♪)

Glacial floods carry

Millions of tons
of volcanic rock and ash

To iceland's south shore,

Reshaping the coastline

And creating stretches
of basalt beach

As black as gunmetal.

>> it's because it's all
produced by breaking down basalt

Which is a black rock.

And most of the rock,

The majority of rocks
in iceland,

Are black in color
because most of it is basalt.

So we have this dark color.

So it-- I remember one time
going to hawaii

And everyone talked about
the black sand beach.

"you need to go and see
the black sand beach."

And I said, "why?

I've seen nothing
but black sand beaches

In my life.

I'm from a place
where all the rocks are dark."

>> at sandvik beach,

Towering cliffs are home
to thousands of sea birds,

Including the puffin.

(birds squawking)

More than half the world's
atlantic puffins

Breed on iceland's
rocky cliff tops.

(birds squawking in distance)

Although the north coast
of the island

Touches the arctic circle,

Its coastal waters
remain free of sea ice.

The atlantic gulf stream,
a system of thermal currents

Warms this passage
of the north atlantic.

(♪♪♪)

But with warmer water
comes rain.

This stretch of coastline

Is one of the wettest
in iceland,

With average annual rainfall
of more than 90 inches.

Isolated
near the top of the world,

Iceland is ravaged by storms
in every direction.

Fierce winds
and rolling atlantic waves

Batter its shores.

Through the centuries,
scores of icelandic mariners

Have drowned in its wild,
stormy waters.

Even today, there is real danger
for the icelanders

Who harvest
these cold, dark seas.

>> the connection between

The people living
in these villages and the ocean

Is very, very strong.

It is their livelihood.

And sometimes in some areas,

Especially close
to the south coast,

Where we have the rough surf
of the atlantic

Hammering the coast,

Going out in the boats
to catch the fish

Has always been
a big challenge.

They have to go
through the surf sometimes.

And even today in the fish--
big fishing boats

And with all the technology,

This is often a very dangerous
and difficult thing to do.

So these are tough people

And they have learned
to survive

With this giant,
the atlantic ocean.

>> at the end
of the black sand beach,

Jagged blades of basalt

Rise more than 200 feet
into the air.

Once part of a greater
volcanic cliff line,

These ancient sea stacks

Have been ground down over time
by wind

And the rages of the sea.

Farther inland,

Iceland's mighty ice fields
are also shrinking.

Although
the majority of its glaciers

Lie atop active volcano systems,

Less than 5%
of the melting of its ice caps

Is attributed
to volcanic heat.

A far more destructive force
threatens iceland's glaciers.

Rising global temperatures.

Over the last 100 years,
the planet has warmed.

The upper reaches
of the northern hemisphere

Are warming twice as fast
as regions farther south.

(♪♪♪)

In a land of ice and snow,

The effects of climate change
are unmistakable.

The glaciers are melting.

>> of course, the glaciers
are disappearing right now.

I've been monitoring glaciers
for 30 years

And it's the temperature,
mean temperature,

Particularly,
the summer temperature,

Which is causing the changes.

And the summer temperature,
and temperature in general,

Has been rising
during this last century

Very consistently.

>> in iceland,
glacial melt is nothing new.

Each winter,
snow falls on the glacier

And gradually compresses
into ice.

Each summer,

Melt water
pours from the icecaps,

Gathers in streams
and rivers,

And cascades
into valleys below.

This cycle of freeze and thaw

Has endured
for thousands of years.

But in the last century,

Glacial melt
has far exceeded snowfall.

The glaciers are vanishing...

...At an alarming rate.

5% of iceland's ice caps

Have melted
in the last 40 years.

Each year,
11 billion tons of ice

Vanish from the island.

The last time
iceland experienced

An accelerated melt
on this scale

Is when it emerged
from the last ice age

More than 12,000 years ago.

(♪♪♪)

Iceland's largest icecap
feeds dozens of outlet glaciers,

Essentially tongues

That slide away
from the larger mass of ice

And into deep valleys.

The glaciers are estimated
to be melting

At a rate of 3 feet per year.

Many of its outlet glaciers

Are melting
at an even faster pace.

>> so this glacier is
actually moving quite fast.

During the last 100 years,

It's been retreating
very rapidly.

So now it's further back
than it has ever been

In the last 120 years or so.

Since the early '90s,

All the glaciers
have been retreating

And losing mass quite rapidly.

>> svinafellsjokull,

One of the largest
outlet glaciers at vatnajokull,

Advances down the mountain

Between 80 to 100 feet
each year.

But despite this immense
forward push of ice,

Summer melting
causes its leading edge

To recede more than 130 feet.

Great swaths of the valley,

Once enveloped by the glacier,

Now lie exposed

As vatnajokull retreats
up the mountain.

It is a grim reminder
that the glacier is dying.

At this glacial lagoon,

Huge chunks of ice
have broken off

Or calved from the glacier.

Calving begins with a fracture
in the edge of the glacier

Caused by the erosion
from wind, water or melting ice.

When the crack penetrates
the full depth of the glacier,

The sheer weight of the ice
takes its toll

And huge blocks break away
creating icebergs.

Some are darkly striped,

Blackened by debris
from the valley floor.

(♪♪♪)

Calving is a natural process
in the life of a glacier.

But across the arctic,

Glaciers are calving
at an alarming rate.

As temperatures rise

And polar ice
weakens and melts,

More and more ice
cleaves from the glacier.

As the ice sheet breaks apart,

Lagoons swell
and flood the lowlands.

The icebergs in the lagoon,

Ruins from a dwindling ice cap,

Provide a glimpse
into the future

Of all of iceland's glaciers.

>> we have done some modeling
for the icelandic glaciers

And taking some assumptions

About how the temperature
is gonna increase in the future,

We see actually quite
a bleak future for the glaciers.

So most of them
will probably be gone

In about 200, 250 years.

>> the prospect
of a glacial collapse

Is a disturbing one
for the people of iceland.

Locked inside the ice caps

Is their largest reservoir
of fresh water.

>> if all the glaciers
would disappear entirely,

It would have
very negative effect

On our water supply.

And not only in form of the
drinking water that we need,

Both hot and cold water,

But also the fact

That 70% of the energy
that we have in iceland

Is produced
in hydraulic power plants

By damming the rivers.

So they are
a very, very big part of--

Important part of our lives.

(♪♪♪)

>> the deterioration
of the ice sheets

Could have devastating
consequences,

Not just for iceland,
but for the world beyond.

(♪♪♪)

>> in the global context,

We can say
that when the glaciers melt,

Sea level is gonna rise.

The glaciers in iceland

Are not that big
in a global context.

So if we take
all the glaciers in iceland,

Melt them
and put it into the ocean,

The sea level will rise
about 1 centimeter.

So that's not a big influence.

But we have greater neighbor,
greenland ice sheet.

And if we mentally
take that whole ice,

And melt it
and put it into the ocean,

The sea level would rise
7 meters.

>> a sea-level-rise of 20 feet

Would drown more than
400,000 square miles of land,

Threaten the planet's
coastal nations and cities

And put more than
100 million people at risk.

(♪♪♪)

But it's not just sea levels
that are climbing

As a result of climate change.

Iceland too is rising.

As ice melts,
its load becomes lighter

Reducing pressure
on the land below

And the ground rebounds.

It's known
as "isostatic lift".

In some areas,

The island is rising
more than 1 inch per year.

The speed of this rise

Is among the fastest
on the planet.

And as the land rebounds,
volcanoes stir.

Heavy weight
on top of a volcano,

Such as a massive sheet of ice
will suppress volcanic activity.

As ice melts,
downward pressure is released

Allowing magma
to rise to the surface

Where it can trigger
volcanic eruptions.

Geological evidence
from the last ice age

Suggests that volcanic eruptions
in iceland

Increased 30-fold
after the glaciers retreated.

Scientists estimate
a glacial collapse

Could lead
to a major eruption

Every 7 years.

Eruptions on this scale

Can lead to something
even worse.

In 1783,

An eruption at laki
in south-central iceland

Sent a poisonous cloud
of sulfur dioxide

Into the atmosphere.

(♪♪♪)

The thick fog of fumes
plunged iceland into famine,

Spread over europe

And possibly killed an estimated
two million people worldwide.

It was one of the deadliest
volcanic eruptions

In human history.

(♪♪♪)

As iceland's glaciers
continue to melt

Atop some of the world's
deadliest volcanoes,

The threat of eruptions
increases.

Some geologists believe

A massive natural disaster
similar to laki

Could happen again.

>> there will be another one
like that in the future, yes.

Every now and then,
about 1,000 years apart,

We get huge eruptions,

Which will even affect greatly
the modern society.

We'll, probably,
have a much better way

Of defending ourselves
than people had then,

When 10% of the people died
from the famine

And the results of the haze.

But there may very well be
volcanic eruptions

That will affect
the whole society of iceland

In such a way that
it will hardly be habitable.

>> the laki lava field,

Which laid waste to more than
200 square miles,

Is a reminder of the horror
that befell iceland.

But where nature can destroy,

It can also create beauty.

On this night,

The sky above the field
begins to bruise.

And in the upper atmosphere,
a cosmic spectacle unfolds.

Aurora borealis.

The northern lights.

Electrically charged particles
of solar wind

Collide with
the earth's magnetic field,

Creating one of nature's

Most elusive
and spectacular sights.

Iceland may be built
from fire and volcanic rock

But it takes its shape
from ice.

As glaciers
advanced and retreated

Over thousands of years,

They carved out deep fjords

And sculpted
iceland's furrowed coastline.

Some glaciers are long gone.

Others are still at work today

Dramatically transforming
the landscape.

Vatnajokul bears down
on the valleys like a bulldozer.

At the rate of 2 feet per day,

It crushes
the land beneath it,

Eroding solid rock
like sandpaper over wood.

>> around vatnajokul
you have these runoff glaciers

That come flowing
down from the big ice sheet,

Carving the valleys,

Making the valleys deeper
and wider as they do that.

So one of the things that
you can clearly see

When you look at the glaciers
are the glacier moraines

That are often
in front of them,

Which are the result
of the fact

That the glacier
pushes forward,

And it pushes gravel and dirt
in front of it,

Creating these mounds.

And then
as the glacier retreats,

It leaves these mounds
just sitting there

Like small hills--
sometimes very big hills.

>> piles of moraines
litter the landscape,

Evidence that the glaciers
are disappearing.

Inside these rocky ridges
are clues

To where the glaciers
have been.

Rocks and minerals

Unique to a particular landscape
hundreds of miles away

Can be found in the moraine,

Proof that a glacier
flowed through that region.

As the glaciers power forward,

They scour and gouge
the bedrock

With boulders
carried in their bellies,

Leaving scars in their wake

Only to be revealed
when the glaciers recede.

These juggernauts of ice
are so powerful,

They can destroy mountains.

On the snafellsnes peninsula
in western iceland,

A free-standing mountain

Bears the scars of the glacier
that covered it,

Kirkjufell.

It is one of the most
distinct models

Of glacial erosion in iceland.

Kirkjufell's unusual
pyramid shape

Can be traced
to the last ice age.

Glaciers on either side
of its peak,

Scraped slowly down
the mountain

Scooping out rock
and carrying it down its slopes.

As the glacier flowed,

Shattered rocks,
caught underneath the ice,

Ground the mountainsides,

Carving out more rock.

When the glaciers
melted and retreated,

Kirkjufell was left
completely severed

From the rest
of the mountain chain.

Today, it stands alone.

A mighty mountain,

But no match
for the power of ice.

Nowhere is the crushing strength
of ice more extensive

Than in iceland's magnificent
glacial valleys.

(♪♪♪)

These canyons form
when glaciers push slowly

Through channels already cut
by flowing streams.

(♪♪♪)

Year after year,

Decade after decade,

Century after century,

The glacier eats away

At the sides
of the original valley

Transforming a narrow gully

Into a wide and mighty canyon.

Entire mountainsides
are sheared away

Leaving behind
steep vertical cliffs.

Melt-water from the glacier
now feeds the stream

That flows
through this mighty valley.

Clearly too small

To have created
this majestic canyon,

It's known as a misfit stream.

It can take decades,
sometimes centuries,

For iceland's water
to complete its cycle

And return to the sea.

Rivers and streams
flow with meltwater from snow

That fell hundreds
of years ago.

Meltwater from glaciers

Seeps into the ground
and through porous lava rock.

>> you could almost say
that the lava is like a sponge.

It takes in a lot of water

And then it slowly lets it go

As the sponge fills up.

It takes maybe 30 years
for a drop of water

To go from the point it melts,
seeps into the ground,

Until it flows out
somewhere else.

So it's a very slow process.

>> these humble streams
merge together

To form powerful rivers,

Which in turn form
another erosive force

That has shaped iceland.

(water gushing)

Waterfalls.

Iceland's climate and topography
combine to generate

Some of the most stunning
waterfalls in the world.

On some parts of the island,
waterfalls outnumber people.

In this north-atlantic climate,

Snow and rain
frequently drench the land.

High in the mountains,

Melting glaciers
feed frigid rivers

Already swollen
from precipitation.

Over dozens of miles,

These glacial rivers gather
pace and volume.

Finally,
they roar over rocky cliffs.

(♪♪♪)

At selfoss,

An unending flow
of glacial melt water

Cascades over the ridge,
battering the rocks below.

More than 30 feet high,

Selfoss generates
immense power.

But it is a trickle

Compared to what lies
downstream.

Dettifoss.

150 feet high.

300 feet wide.

It is the largest waterfall
in europe,

Powerful enough
to fracture solid rock.

(♪♪♪)

Early icelanders
called dettifoss

"the king of all waterfalls".

On an average day,

Enough water cascades
over its crest line

To fill
an olympic-sized swimming pool

Every 5 seconds.

In warm weather,
which boosts meltwater,

Or on rainy days,

Even more water is unleashed.

>> dettifoss
is a magnificent display

Of the power of water.

It's a breathtaking thing
to see.

And when you're standing
next to it,

Not only can you oversee it

And hear the rumble
from the water,

But if you touch
the rocks around it,

You can feel them trembling.

So the power there
is just unbelievable.

(♪♪♪)

>> the river that feeds
the largest waterfall in europe

Is in turn fed by the largest
glacier in europe,

Vatnajokull,

More than 100 miles
south of here.

The river's glacial origins
are evident

In its unusual silvery color.

Tiny remnants of rocks

That have been crushed
by the glacier

Are suspended in the river,

Creating an opaque-grey tint
in the rushing water.

On its long journey
from glacier to sea,

The river carves away
at the highland bedrock

Washing away rock fragments
to widen the valley.

(♪♪♪)

As the current
nears the highlands,

It builds in power,

Forming rapids

That plunge
into the canyon below.

At the top of the falls,

The force of the water
is powerful enough

To flatten rocks at the edge.

At the bottom,
the basin becomes larger

As rushing water and sediment
wear away at the rock

Causing the waterfall
to recede upstream.

>> it's slowly carving
the canyon

That we have
below the waterfall.

So in time it's slowly moving
further inland,

Carving the rock
that is underneath.

So that's another form
of iceland

Being under construction.

If you would return
2,000 years from now,

It would probably be
a little bit higher up

Than it is now.

(♪♪♪)

>> dettifoss plummets
into a gorge,

1,600 feet wide...

...And 100 feet deep.

This mighty canyon was formed

By catastrophic
glacial flooding,

Sometime after the last ice age.

A volcanic eruption underneath
the vatnajokull glacier

Is believed to be
the source of the flood.

At its peak,

The flood roared
over the plateau

With four times the power
of the amazon river

Taking out everything
in its path.

The spectacular collision
of fire and ice

Can wipe out entire landscapes.

But as evidenced here,

Fire and ice work together
to create stunning new worlds.

In the north of iceland,
a barren plain,

Scarred by lava
from a volcanic eruption

More than 9,000 years ago,

Gives way
to a tumbling waterfall,

65 feet high.

This is aldeyjarfoss.

(♪♪♪)

Foaming glacial water

Gushes through
its narrow passage,

Thrashing into a wide basin
surrounded by basalt columns.

These peculiar formations
are the result of lava flows

That have cooled quickly,
contracted and cracked

To create precise
geometric structures.

>> below the waterfall,

We have this wonderful display
of the basalt columns

That are hidden underground

And we can only see them

Because this raging
torrent of water

Has carved this canyon for us
to get a peek into the earth.

These basalt columns are not,
all of them straight.

It's very interesting
to watch them in that area

Because they're kind of--
they're curved,

They're going in all
different directions.

So around aldeyjarfoss,
we have nature

Creating this
abstract piece of art for us.

(♪♪♪)

>> not only
do iceland's waterfalls sculpt

Its ever-evolving landscape,

They have also played
a pivotal role in its culture.

Godafoss, in north iceland,

Is closely connected
to one of the most

Influential events
in the country's history:

The conversion from heathendom
to christianity

In the year 1000.

According to legend,
iceland's lawspeaker,

Himself a pagan priest,

Was faced
with a growing religious crisis

Between christians

And those who worshipped
the old nordic gods.

The lawspeaker declared
iceland would become christian.

In a symbolic act,

He hurled statues of the old
norse gods into the fall.

Hence its name, godafoss,

The waterfall of the gods.

Even in the winter months,
when temperatures plummet

And ice extends its grip,

Iceland's waterfalls
continue to flow

Due to the sheer power
of the glacial rivers

That pour from
its tremendous ice caps.

(♪♪♪)

Iceland is alive.

Its landscape
is ever-evolving.

Glaciers
that appear frozen in time

Are on the move,

Cutting away mountains
and gouging out valleys

As they advance and retreat.

It is a challenging wilderness,

A place where cold waves
crash onto volcanic rock,

Where treacherous crevasses yawn

And icebergs are born.

Deep below its glaciers,

Molten lava burns
and volcanoes stir

As fire and ice collide.

But climate change
has tipped the balance.

Iceland's glaciers are melting,

Freeing volcanoes
from their icy grip,

Triggering violent eruptions
and thundering floods

That sculpt the land.

Glaciers play a tremendous role

In iceland's
ever-changing environment.

And yet
they are disappearing.

Deep within the ice
lies history

That scientists
need to extract

Before it vanishes forever.

In 200 years,
iceland's glaciers may be gone.

For now,

These icy giants
remain a frozen wonder.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)